[UPDATED] New Grant man fined $1,500 for dumping coconut shells on roadside

Candel Pierre, the New Grant resident caught dumping green coconut shells on the roadside in Princes Town over the weekend, pleaded guilty on Monday to littering.

Pierre, 42, of Monkey Town Branch Road, faced Princes Town magistrate Margaret Alert, who fined him $1,500. He must pay the fine by December 31 or serve a month in jail.

Pierre also pleaded guilty to driving without a valid insurance certificate. The magistrate him $3,500, to be paid by December 31 or he will serve 12 months in jail.

A police report said WPC Mitchell-Ramsey and other Princes Town municipal police were on mobile patrol on Saturday in a marked van on Gopaul Bypass Road in Princes Town.

They saw a parked white Mazda van and a man throwing the coconut shells from the tray onto the roadside, a public place.

The police told him of the offence, depositing litter in a public place, and cautioned him.

They asked for his driving documents and found his licence was valid, but his insurance certificate had expired on August 2.

Pierre was taken to the Princes Town municipal police station, where WPC Mitchell-Ramsey charged him.